Madison County’s Meals-On-Wheels volunteers got the day off on Friday, during the second annual Teacher Takeover Day.

Thirty professional educators from five area public school districts delivered meals to 130 clients of LifeCare Alliance.

“It’s a way for teachers to show how they care for the community,” said Bret Benack of the Ohio Education Association. “It provides a little different perspective.”

Benack and his family joined other volunteer educators in distributing ready-to-eat and frozen meals to homebound county residents.

The nonprofit LifeCare Alliance provides health and nutrition services to about 6,000 older adults and those medically challenged in Madison, Logan, Franklin and Marion counties. Champaign County will be included in the organization’s reach next year, according to a spokesperson.

Participation in the local Teacher Takeover Day is growing, Benack noted.

Educators and their families from the London, Jonathan Alder, West Jefferson, and Fairbanks districts, as well as Tolles Career & Technical Center, joined this year’s effort.

Breakfast at London High School provided by L.A. Catering, a LifeCare entrepreneur enterprise, kicked off the day’s activities.

Teacher-volunteers attended a brief training before leaving to cover LifeCare’s local delivery routes that extend from Plain City to London and beyond.

By 12:30 p.m., all were back at London High School with empty meal boxes.

London kindergarten teacher Cristin Dwyer visited five homes between London’s west side and the Linson Road area in Paint Township. She found most clients surprised to see an unfamiliar face at the door.

“Everyone was very grateful,” Dwyer said. “It’s a worthwhile activity for anyone who wants to see a healthy community.”